In the name of giving credit where credit is due, What the Heck, Bobby beat me to the punch in pointing out that the Astros should consider adding Dayan Diaz to their 40-man roster this off-season.

True, Diaz was only in short season Tri-City in 2011, and his time on the mound marked his first solid season pitching in the United States. However, to find precedent for adding a pitcher in Diaz's situation to the 40-man roster, one needs only look back to last season and Jorge DeLeon.

2010 was DeLeon's first season as a pitcher (he is a converted shortstop). In 2010, with Tri-City, DeLeon, who turned 23 while he was a Valley Cat, posted an 0.64 ERA in 28 innings. He allowed only 26 hits and struck out 29. In 2011, as part of the 40-man roster, DeLeon led Lexington with 16 saves, posting a 3.42 ERA in 55 1/3 innings.

By comparison, Dayan Diaz was a Valley Cat in 2011. He missed almost all of 2009 and 2010 with injury, so 2011 was in some sense his first year as a pitcher(a healthy one at least). Diaz, who turned 22 prior to the season, posted a 1.98 for Tri-City in 50 innings pitched. He allowed only 27 hits and struck out 70 batters.

Granted there is additional talent in the Astros' system compared to last off-season, so it may be difficult to find space on the 40-man roster for a long-term project like Diaz. However, history indicates that such a move is a possibility.

In today's print edition of the Houston Chronicle, Zach Levine lists six possible #1 picks for the Astros in the 2012 draft. I haven't seen the list in the online edition of the paper, but here are the six that Levine mentions:

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

2011 Farmstros Pitcher of the Year Jake Buchanan was playing golf this week in his home state of North Carolina. If he rises to the challenges the 2012 baseball season in the same way he did in the 2011 season, he may not be available for much golf this time next year, at least not in North Carolina. He may be taking the mound in places like Milwaukee's Miller Park and Chicago's Wrigley Field for the Astros as they close out their 50th Anniversary season next fall.

When Buchanan started Spring Training in March, he only had half a season as a professional under his belt, and he assumed Lexington was on his itinerary for 2011. A stint with the Legends would have given Buchanan several opportunities to play in front of his friends and family as the Astros' Low A affiliate makes numerous stops in North Carolina.

However, when camp broke and the season started, Buchanan was in California wearing a Lancaster JetHawks uniform and pitching his home games in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in baseball. Buchanan was fully aware of the challenges of pitching in Clear Channel Stadium. Yet, the North Carolina St. product, was up to the task. He focused on keeping his pitches low in the strike zone and in on left-handers.

By the end of the season, Buchanan's efforts had paid off as he had posted the best full season for a starter in the three years that the Astros have had their High A affiliate in Lancaster. The 22-year old right-hander made 25 starts in the California League posting a 3.91 ERA in 158 2/3 innings pitched. He threw Lancaster's only complete game shutout of the season-and the franchise's first such performance since May 2006- on May 1 at Inland Empire.

Buchanan's performance in California merited him a one-game call-up to Corpus Christi at the end of the season. He gave the fans at Whataburger Field(and Minute Maid Park) something to look forward to in 2012, as he allowed one run only six hits in seven innings pitched beneath the shadow of the USS Lexington.

Buchanan visited Minute Maid Park for the first time Saturday. He was honored as the Astros' Minor League Pitcher of the Year prior to that evening's game. If he builds on his performance of 2011 and meets the challenges of 2012, he may not be just a visitor the next time his name is announced in downtown Houston.

Upon further review, the Astros don't need to protect Brett Oberholtzer just yet.

I included Oberholtzer on the initial list of Astros prospects eligible for this December's Rule 5 draft. However, closer scrutiny by the official birthday experts of the Farmstros Village (aka What the Heck, Bobby) revealed that Oberholtzer was still 18 when he signed with the Braves after the 2008 draft. This fact means that the Braves (and after the trade the Astros) have five years to evaluate Oberholtzer before he becomes vulnerable to the perils of the 2012 Rule 5 Draft.

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Today marks the nine year anniversary of the last time Andy Hekken pitched in the big leagues, for Detroit. Van Hekken, a left-hander who has been in the Astros' organization for three and a half seasons, spent 2011 with Oklahoma City. He posted the second-best ERA in the Pacific Coast League for the RedHawks.

Van Hekken, from Holland, Michigan, will be spending October representing the United States on the baseball field. He is slated to pitch in the Baseball World Cup in Panama from October 2-15. He will also don the red, white and blue in Mexico in the Pan Am Games from October 20-25.

Monday, September 26, 2011

If you are a fan of the Astros of the Future and Chinese baseball (talk about your niche audience), Kissimmee is the place for you to be tomorrow.

I just received the Fall Instructional League schedule in time to find out that the Astros' Fall Instructional squad is scheduled to take on the Chinese team in Osceola County tomorrow at noon(Minute Maid Park time).

Sunday, September 25, 2011

When I arrived at Minute Maid Park Saturday for Minor League MVP Night, the existing autograph line led to J.R. Richard and Jimmy Wynn. Obviously, these were not the Astros of the future.

When I inquired with some helpful Astros' staff members as to where I should line up to get autographs from Jose Altuve and Jake Buchanan, I got the feeling that the Minor League MVP autograph event was not at the top of the Astros' gameday itinerary. Eventually, a spot was found for Altuve and Buchanan (Bar tables and stools were brought over from Larry's Big Bamboo), and fans of the Astros of the Future got their chance to meet the players they came to see.

It was fun to meet Buchanan and Altuve face to face and wish Buchanan a happy birthday. I also actually got to meet Chris Chenes from the Tri-City Valley Cats' front office who was in town with Chris Dawson(also of Tri-City) to see a few games. In addition to a pre-game ceremony honoring the organization's top players and coaches, the Astros also honored the 2011 MVPs at each minor league level on the ribbon board prior to the game:

Jake Buchanan got an early birthday present from the Farmstros Village. Buchanan, who turns 22 Saturday was voted the Farmstros Pitcher of the Year by readers of this blog. Buchanan, who spent 2011 in the Lancaster rotation(he made one start for Corpus Christi at the end of the season), received 23 out of 66 total votes.

Dallas Keuchel finished second in the voting with 14 tallies. Andy Van Hekken (8), Nick Tropeano (7) and Kyle Hallock (7) were notables in the final count as well.

From 4:45 to 5:15 on Saturday, Buchanan and Altuve will be available for autographs. (Be sure to wish Buchanan a happy 22nd birthday.) The first 10,000 fans to enter the stadium will receive the fleece blanket pictured at the link above.

The Astros are offering a special ticket offer to fans of the minor league system when they buy their tickets through this link. Please contact Jeff Troncoso at 713-29-8318 for more information.

For the sake of full disclosure, Farmstros has received two tickets to Saturday's game as compensation for promoting the event.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Who will join Jordan Scott, the 2011 Farmstros Player of the Year, on the Farmstros' Village awards podium this week? It's time to decide. Voting runs through Thursday, September 22.

The Candidates:

Jake Buchanan, 22, RHP, Lancaster/Corpus Christi. Buchanan was the top pitcher for Lancaster in 2011. He made 25 starts, posting a 3.91 ERA in 158 2/3 IP. He made one start for Corpus Christi at the end of the season, allowing just one run in seven innings.

Ryan Cole, 23, RHP, Tri-City. Cole, a 2010 draft pick, led the short season Valley Cats with 10 saves. He had a 2.33 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 27 innings pitched.

Jorge DeLeon, 24, RHP, Lexington. 2011 was the converted infielder's first full season as a pitcher. He was second in the Astros' minor league system with 16 saves. In 43 appearances, DeLeon struck out 51 in 55 1/3 IP and posted a 3.42 ERA.

Dayan Diaz, 22, RHP, Tri-City. Diaz missed almost all of 2009 and 2010 with injury so his strong return was a pleasant surprise. For the Valley Cats in 2011, he pitched 50 innings and struck out 70. He posted a 1.98 ERA in 19 outings.

Blake Ford, 23, RHP, GCL Astros. The Astros picked up Ford out of Lamar University in the 2011 Draft. He led the Gulf Coast League entry in wins(four) and saves (eight). Ford posted a 1.90 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 23 2/3 IP.

Reymin Guduan, 19, LHP, DSL Astros. Guduan made 13 starts in the Dominican. He ended the 2011 season with a 2.17 ERA and 61 strikeouts 45 2/3 innings.

Kyle Hallock, 23, LHP, Tri-City. After being drafted in June 2011, Hallock made 13 starts for the Valley Cats. He had a 2.63 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings.

Dallas Keuchel, 23, LHP, Corpus Christi/Oklahoma City. Keuchel was the anchor of the Corpus Christi staff before being called up to Oklahoma City. In 20 AA starts, he pitched 127 2/3 innings and had a 3.17 ERA. He struggled in his seven starts for the AAA RedHawks, but he was impressive in his home starts for Oklahoma City.

Nick Tropeano, 21, RHP, Tri-City. Tropeano made 12 starts in the New York-Penn League after being a 2011 draft pick. He posted a 2.36 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings. He was voted the Farmstros Player of the Month for August/September when he made four starts and didn't allow a run in 17 innings pitched.

Andy Van Hekken, 32, LHP, Oklahoma City. Van Hekken had the second-best ERA in the Pacific Coast League in 2011. He made 19 starts and 16 relief appearances, pitching a total of 129 2/3 innings and posting an ERA of 3.40.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

With all the discussion about the benefits and negatives of the Astros moving to the American League, it seems to me another option is being completely ignored. Given the talent and experience of the team that it appears the Astros will be fielding in 2012 and 2013, it would be prudent for Jim Crane/Drayton McClane/et. al. to have discussions with the Japanese Pacific League about a two year foreign exchange program.

Admittedly, there would be special travel logisitics involved if the Astros joined the likes of the Orix Buffaloes and the Soft Bank Hawks for a few seasons. However, if the Sugarland Skeeters can be in the ATLANTIC League, then anything is possible.

A few highlights of THE BAD NEWS ASTROS GO TO JAPAN (2012-13):

The Yu Darvish Factor- Picture this: Opening Night 2012 in the Sapporo Dome. The Astros take on the Ham Fighters in the first game of an historic four game series. I'd be up at 4:30 a.m. (Minute Maid Park Time) just to watch Yu Darvish's first pitch to Jose Altuve(who wouldn't seem all that short in Japan) for the Ham Fighters. If you don't know who Yu Darvish is check out this scouting report from ntn at Crawfish Boxes. Please note Darvish may actually be headed to the Major Leagues after 2011.

Breathing Orange Fire!-Nothing against "We are Your Astros", but Japanese baseball slogans are usually awesome or hilarious or both, especially by comparison. The Astros marketing department will fit right in with their Japanese counterparts if they pull out this oldie but goodie for the 2012 campaign.

Can Ichiro come along?- For scheduling ease, it would be best for another team to join the Astros on their Far East Adventure. With Ichiro Suzuki nearing 38 years of age, it would be ideal for the Mariners to give him a chance to play a few seasons in his homeland before he retires.

Corporate tie-ins galore- With all the travel that will be involved in this venture, it doesn't take much imagination to hear the Minute Maid Park announcer saying "The starting lineup for your Continental/United Airlines Houston Astros.

New angles for the Houston media- I'd read about Zach Levine's adventures getting lost in Shinjuku train station, or Brian McTaggart's exclusive interviews with the sumo grand champion. Of course, who wouldn't read Alyson Footer's blog about the varities of sushi, nato, and soba noodles at Chiba Stadium.

Inter-league Play- Fear not lovers of inter-league play, Japan has it too. If the schedule falls right,Minute Maid Park could host the Tokyo Yomiuri Giants, who brought the world Sadaharu Oh and Hideki Matsui. Better yet, the club could play a series at Osaka's historic Koshien Stadium against the Central League's Hanshin Tigers.

Friday, September 16, 2011

Baseball America named three members of the Astros' organization to their post season all-star teams. Jose Altuve, who started the year in Lancaster and is currently on the big league roster, was the top second baseman in all of minor league baseball according to Baseball America.

Jonathan Singleton, who joined Lancaster after being acquired in the Hunter Pence trade, was named the top 1st baseman in the High A class. Dayan Diaz, RHP was named the top reliever in the short season class for his work with Tri-City in 2011.

Outfielder Jordan Scott received 2122 votes to edge out catcher Chris Wallace for the title of Farmstros 2011 Player of the Year. By the time voting ended early Friday morning, a total of 4832 votes had been cast by readers of this blog. Wallace was on Scott's tail with 2046 votes. 2011 draft pick Chase Davidson finished in third with 429 votes. Voting for the 2011 Farmstros Pitcher of the Year is scheduled to begin Monday afternoon.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

The Astros have announced that infielder Jose Altuve and right-handed pitcher Jake Buchanan will be honored as the organization's minor league player and pitcher of the year prior to the club's September 24 game against Colorado. The players will be available for an autograph session at Minute Maid Park prior to the game from 4:45-5:15 (Minute Maid Park time). The first 10,000 fans at the game will also receive a 50th anniversary fleece blanket.

The club is offering a special ticket offer to minor league fans when they buy their tickets through this link. Contact Jeff Troncoso in the Astros' ticket office (713-259-8318) for more information.

Altuve,21,began this season in Lancaster before making the jump to Minute Maid Park with a brief stop-over in Corpus Christi along the way. The Farmstros Village voted Altuve the player of the month in April, May and June of this season.

Buchanan,21, spent almost the entire year with Lancaster (he made one AA start at the end of the season). In 25 High A starts, he posted a 3.91 ERA in 158 2/3 innings pitched. He pitched seven innings allowing six hits and one earned run for AA Corpus Christi in one September start. Buchanan was nominated for the Farmstros Player of the Month in April 2011 and finished sixth in the voting.

For the sake of full disclosure, Farmstros is receiving two tickets to the September 24 game from the Astros in return for these promotional efforts.

Ireceived word from Houston's Sports Radio 610 yesterday that Farmstros did not win that station's Most Valuable Blogger competition. I have not received any information about final vote percentages. So, as far as I can tell, Farmstros finished in second place, one vote behind the winner.

Monday, September 12, 2011

The minor league season has been over for a week now, and Fall Instructional League begins in less than seven days. As the minor league off-season gets rolling in earnest, it's time to vote for the Farmstros Player of the Year.

Please note: This award is based only on performances in the Astros' minor league system. All players who were on a minor league roster on August 31 are eligible (September call-ups are included). Voting will run through 11:59 p.m. (Minute Maid Park time) on Thursday, September 15.

Adam Bailey, 23, OF, Lexington/Lancaster/Corpus Christi. Bailey was solid in all three of his stops in 2011- Lexington, 79 games; Lancaster, 30 games; Corpus Christi, 23 games. Combined for the season, Bailey was 155 for 533 (.291) with 24 home runs and 95 RBI.

Chase Davidson, 21, 1B, Greeneville/Tri-City. Davidson went to Greeneville after being drafted in June. In the Appalachian League, he batted .335 in 43 games with 26 extra-base hits, 11 home runs and 44 RBI. The July Farmstros Player of the Month also had 33 runs scored and eight stolen bases for Greeneville before being called up to Tri-City for one game at the end of the season.

Jacob Goebbert, 23, OF, Lancaster/Corpus Christi/Oklahoma City. Goebbert started the season in Lancaster but ended it one level below Houston. Wearing three different uniforms (Lancaster-31 games, Corpus-75 games, Oklahoma City-26 games), Goebbert was 140 for 482 (.290) with 12 home runs and 67 RBI.

Kody Hinze, 24, IF, Lancaster/Corpus Christi. Between Lancaster and Corpus Christi, Hinze led the organization in home runs (29) and RBI (98). He spent 80 games with Lancaster and 55 with Corpus.

Yonathan Mejia, 18, IF, GCL Astros. Mejia had the top batting average for the Astros' Gulf Coast League entry. He batted .329 with eight doubles and 25 RBI in 40 games.

Jordan Scott, 19, OF, Greeneville/Tri-City/Lexington. After starting the season at Lexington, Scott dropped back to Greeneville where he had his most success. In 60 games as the Greeneville MVP, Scott has twelve doubles, three triples, one home run and 31 RBI. He also stole 11 bases and scored 41 runs.

Chris Wallace, 23, C, Lexington/Corpus Christi. Wallace split his time between Low A and Double AA in 2011. In a total of 102 games, Wallace had 20 home runs and 78 RBI.

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Xavier Cedeno will become the 11th player to make his big league debut with the Astros this season. The club will purchase his contract and put him on the big league roster. He should join the Astros in Washington. This move is made to compensate for the loss of another lefty, Sergio Escalona who is out for the remainder of the season with the Astros. Cedeno spent most of the season in Corpus Christi's rotation before being promoted to Oklahoma City, pitching out of the RedHawks' bullpen.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Astros under Drayton McLane have been involved in the community in a variety of ways. The first several pages of the team's media guide highlight the activities of the Astros in Action foundation and the Astros Go Green program.

Having read about this involvement, it was great this season to experience their community involvement first hand.

In April 2011, Alyson Footer, the Astros Senior Director of Social Media generously donated an auction item to the PTA of the school which my children attend. Naturally, the package that Footer and the Astros donated included tickets to an Astros game. However, in addition, the high bidder also received pre-game access to batting practice, the manager's media session and a chance to interview a player.

The prize was redeemed at Saturday's game against Milwaukee. As you can see from the photo above (taken by Footer), the kindergarten-age student was going toe-to-toe with Zach Levine and the Houston media contingent.

After grilling Brad Mills, the young journalist moved on to tackle Brian Bogusevic. He found out that Bogusevic's favorite subject was math and his favorite superhero is Superman. I assume he ran out of time before being able to ask Bogusevic if he would like to start against left-handers more often.

Many thanks to Alyson Footer for going above and beyond what would be expected to help the Astros be involved in the community.

Just to clarify, Farmstros did coordinate this auction item with Alyson Footer, but the prize was actually purchased by another parent at the school. These are pictures of that child.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

Andy Van Hekken ended the 2011 season with a win Saturday night. The left-hander went six innings in his final start of 2011 for Oklahoma City allowing six hits and two runs. Van Hekken raised his record to 9-6 for the year. He lowered his ERA to 3.40, still second best in the Pacific Coast League.

For the season, Van Hekken made 19 starts, posting a 3.64 ERA in 106 1/2 innings pitched. He started 2011 in the RedHawks bullpen, where he made 16 appearances and had a 2.31 ERA in 23 1/3 innings pitched.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Anderson Hernandez and Andy Van Hekken have added some new highlights to their minor league baggage as they head into the final weekend of the 2011 season.

Hernandez, 28, is carrrying a 30-game hitting streak into the campaign's final three games. His streak is the longest in Oklahoma City franchise history and the eighth-longest ever in the Pacific Coast League.

Van Hekken, 32, will make his final start of the season tonight against New Orleans. Van Hekken has spent time in the RedHawks' bullpen and rotation while posting the second-lowest ERA in the league.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

If Anderson Hernandez gets called up to Houston, he may need to check an extra bag to carry his hitting streak. Hernandez wrapped up the month of August by extending his hitting streak to 29 games. His is the longest hitting streak of the season in the Pacific Coast League. He is 49 for 127 (.386) over the 29 game span.

Seven Astros' prospects will likely be joined by catcher Jason Castro in the Arizona Fall League in a little over a month. The Astros are saving their eighth spot in the Fall development season for Castro, to expedite his return from knee surgery.

The other Astros of the Future who will be playing for the Salt River Rafters between October 4 and November 19:

Keep your eyes on the roads and airlines out of Corpus Christi and New Orleans today. You might just see a Hook of RedHawk player getting ready to turn into an Astro for the month of August. It has already been announced that right-handed starter Lucas Harrell will join the club in time to start Friday's game against Milwaukee. Ed Wade has indicated that the club intends to make all its promotions Friday, rather than waiting until the end of the minor league season on Labor Day.

Not surprisingly, the promotion Lucas Harrell to start for Houston Friday night has led to alterations in the Astros' minor league rotations.

Harrell was scheduled to start Thursday night for Oklahoma City. Harrell will be replaced in the RedHawk rotation by Paul Clemens, who is moving up from Corpus Christi. Jake Buchanan has moved up from Lancaster to Corpus, and is scheduled to start tonight at Whataburger Field.